


The Anthropologist's One True Love (Other Than Humanity in General)

by ThePipofDespair



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Amaguji - Freeform, Amami Rantaro Knows His Talent, Bisexual Shinguji Korekiyo, Gay Amami Rantaro, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Jealousy, Love at First Sight, M/M, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Shinguji Korekiyo-centric, Yandere, Yandere Shinguji Korekiyo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:27:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28099179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePipofDespair/pseuds/ThePipofDespair
Summary: Korekiyo falls deeply in love with Rantarou, and he refuses to let anyone else have him before he gets to confess.
Relationships: Amami Rantaro & Saihara Shuichi, Amami Rantaro & Shinguji Korekiyo, Amami Rantaro/Saihara Shuichi, Amami Rantaro/Shinguji Korekiyo
Comments: 11
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting Rantarou on his first day of high school, Korekiyo realizes he's deeply in love with the male. Whatever will the anthropologist do to get closer to his crush?

Korekiyo Shinguji was a busy man, being the Ultimate Anthropologist. And since he was a busy man, he shouldn't have time for love. 

But that changed the day he started high school. He hadn't seen it coming, but regardless, it changed his life. 

Korekiyo was sitting rather silently, only a pencil and a small notepad on his desk. It was homeroom, and five students (not counting him) were in the classroom-- three boys and two girls. Among the boys were a short, white-haired robot, being bothered by a even shorter boy with purple hair, and, separate from them, a very tall, buff guy with green hair and glasses. He was on the other side of the room, drawing what Korekiyo could only assume was a butterfly or a moth. The other two people in the room were a girl with blonde hair (accompanied by an ahoge) and a short girl with red hair, the latter sleeping with her head on her desk 

Korekiyo had seen many people in his life, all very unique. However, at this point, people like this had become the norm for the anthropologist. Nothing he wouldn't expect, especially among newly-arrived high school students. Korekiyo knew they had potential to be something more, but for now, he would mind his own business. 

It was still early, so more students would no doubt arrive. Korekiyo, bored, had zoned out. It was the first day, so it wasn't surprising that there wasn't much to do. 

A few minutes passed before a voice brought Korekiyo back to reality.  
"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit in front of you?"

Korekiyo looks up to see the prettiest man he'd ever seen. The male looked to be a few inches shorter than him, 5'8" perhaps. He had light green hair, emerald green eyes, and a few ear piercings. His skin was perfectly clean, no imperfections to be found. When looking closer at him, Korekiyo couldn't find a single thing he didn't like about his appearance. He was utterly perfect. Korekiyo couldn't help but stare.

"Um, hello?" asks the boy, waving a hand in front of Korekiyo's face.

Korekiyo stops staring.  
"Oh, I apologize. Yes, you may sit there."

The boy sits in the desk in front of him. Korekiyo debated on talking to him, but after what just happened, he would leave him alone for now. 

Time went by, and all of the students who were to be in Korekiyo's class had arrived. There were sixteen of them, an even amount of boys and girls. 

Korekiyo was paying attention only a slight bit. The class had begun, and the teacher was having each student introduce themselves by column. Being in the column closest to the door, it would take a while to get to Korekiyo's column. But eventually, it was nearly Korekiyo's turn. 

"Thank you," says the teacher as a boy with dark blue hair and an ahoge sits down. The boy's name was Shuichi Saihara, and he had introduced himself as the Ultimate Detective.  
"Alright, next column. You in the front, please introduce yourself."

The teacher gestures to the boy who had sat in front of Korekiyo, and he stands up.

"Um, hello. My name's Rantarou Amami, and I'm the Ultimate Adventurer."

He then sits back down. The hair on top of his head swayed lightly as he did so. It seemed to be not one ahoge, but two. How unusual. 

So this boy's name was Rantarou. Not a bad name at all.

"Alright, thank you. Next."

Oh, yes. It was Korekiyo's turn. He had once again been focused on Rantarou, which seemed to be a bad habit of his now.

Korekiyo stands up calmly, adjusting the hair that fell over his shoulders.  
"Greetings. My name is Korekiyo Shinguji, and I am the Ultimate Anthropologist. You may call me 'Kiyo' if you would like. I look forward to becoming acquainted with all of you."

Korekiyo returns to his seat, and the introductions continue. Soon, everyone had introduced themselves, and class had officially begun. 

"Alright, everyone. Since it's the first day, your work will be fairly simple. On the paper that I am handing out, you will write your name and your talent, and you will explain said talent. It shouldn't be very difficult."

The teacher returns to her seat, and the students got to work.

Korekiyo is nearly done when he hears a quiet whisper of "Hey". He looks up from his paper to see Rantarou facing him.

"Hello," says Korekiyo.  
"Do you need something, Amami-san?"

"I would like to talk to you, since it seems you're almost done," Rantarou replies. 

Korekiyo nods.  
"That is fine by me. Anything in particular you would like to talk about?"

"I believe you said you're an anthropologist," says Rantarou.

"Yes, I am," Korekiyo replies with a nod. 

"So I guess you've been all over the world, like me. That's quite intriguing."  
Rantarou smiles at him. Oh wow. To match his perfect appearance and approachability, the adventurer had the brightest, friendliest smile. Korekiyo added this to the list of things he loved about Rantarou. 

Korekiyo knew now that he definitely wanted to be friends with Rantarou. Maybe more if he could.

"I apologize if this is coming too quickly, but may I call you by your first name, Amami-san?" Korekiyo asks.

"No, I don't mind at all," Rantarou replies with a shrug.   
"May I do the same?"

Korekiyo quickly nods.  
"Go ahead, Rantarou. It will only help us feel more comfortable with each other."

It felt so nice calling Rantarou by his name. The green-haired boy's name rolled off of Korekiyo's tongue so naturally. It was like Korekiyo was meant to say it. 

"Alright. Thank you, Korekiyo."

Korekiyo blushes slightly at Rantarou uttering his name. Luckily, the anthropologist was wearing a mask to conceal his face, so no one could see.   
But why was Korekiyo blushing? Rantarou simply said his name. It's not like he called him attractive out of nowhere. 

"Y-You're welcome," Korekiyo replies. 

Oh shit, he stuttered. What was wrong with him? Korekiyo never stuttered, as his words were usually clear and precise. 

"Anyway, may I read your paper?" asks Rantarou.

Korekiyo nods, handing Rantarou his paper. The adventurer skims over it for a few seconds before handing it back.

"Huh, this is quite well written," Rantarou says.

"You think so?" Korekiyo asks.

Rantarou nods.  
"Yeah. You certainly are detail-oriented. I'm not really as good, but you can read mine if you want."

Rantarou hands Korekiyo his own paper, and Korekiyo reads it and hands it back.

"Hey, it isn't bad at all," says Korekiyo.  
"It may have fewer words than mine has, but it gets your point across just as effectively."

"Alright, thank you for the feedback," says Rantarou.

After that, Rantarou faces forward again, leaving Korekiyo looking directly at the back of his head.   
Even though they'd been talking for a few minutes already, Korekiyo wanted to keeping looking at Rantarou's beautiful face and keep talking to him. Korekiyo didn't know why. He'd known Rantarou for only a little while, but every little interaction between them left Korekiyo wanting more. He didn't want to be rude and disrupt Rantarou for his own selfish desires, but he couldn't help himself.

"Rantarou, do you mind if we talk more?" asks Korekiyo.

The adventurer turns to face him again, and Korekiyo immediately gives the male his full attention.   
"No, not at all. There's not much else to do now that I'm done my work."

Rantarou smiles at Korekiyo again, and it makes his heart melt. Korekiyo didn't know how Rantarou's smile could be so nice. He'd met many humans, but none had a smile as perfect as Rantarou's. 

"Rantarou, if I may say this, you have a very pleasant smile," Korekiyo tells Rantarou. 

"I've been told this before," Rantarou replies.

"By how many people, approximately?" asks Korekiyo.  
"Forgive me if this is a strange question."

"Uh... I don't know, a lot? I don't pay attention to that, Korekiyo."

Korekiyo himself knew what he just asked was very much the definition of a strange question. He didn't know why he asked it; it just came out. 

Korekiyo sighs and facepalms.  
"I don't know what I was thinking, nor do I know why I asked that. Please disregard my question."

"Hey, it's okay," Rantarou says with a light chuckle.  
"We've all said things we didn't mean to, you know? You're not the first one to make that mistake."

Korekiyo's mood quickly brightens. Not only could the adventurer's laugh probably cure cancer, the anthropologist instantly felt better after Rantarou's comment. Really, listening to Rantarou speak was extremely soothing to Korekiyo. His voice was just so gentle, and Korekiyo wished he could listen to his voice forever.

"Thank you for forgiving me, Rantarou," says Korekiyo. 

Rantarou smiles at Korekiyo again before going back to facing forward. Korekiyo himself also smiles underneath his mask. He had a feeling that by the end of the school year, he and Rantarou would be inseparable. 

After a solid seven minutes of sitting silently at his desk, Korekiyo realized that he didn't just want a friendship with Rantarou. It was love at first sight, and he wanted Rantarou to love him. He wanted Rantarou to be his. And no one was allowed to tell him he couldn't have him. 

Korekiyo's new objective was to win Rantarou's heart and eliminate any obstacles in his way. And did Korekiyo think doing this was wrong? No. It was merely true love to him. 

As Korekiyo had already killed over eighty people without being caught, that wouldn't be very hard for him. It's only a matter time before Rantarou accepts that he is to be forever Korekiyo's.

Only Korekiyo's.

Just Korekiyo's.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Korekiyo sees him with spending a lot of time with another guy, he finds out that Rantarou is gay. Jealousy envelops Korekiyo, and he conspires to rid his beloved of this heathen.

It had been a week since Korekiyo had first met Rantarou, and that week had changed his life. The anthropologist was thankful for the very fact that Rantarou was placed in Class 79, able to grace the classroom with his mere presence. Any freetime the two had while sitting in class together was optimized by Korekiyo making sure that he got to talk to Rantarou any chance he got.

Korekiyo already knew a lot about his close friend and crush, yet there was so much he had to find out. For example, since Korekiyo was cautious not to move too fast, he hadn't asked for Rantarou's number yet. It was good to keep a somewhat low profile, but now Korekiyo had no way of knowing what Rantarou did or who he talked to when they weren't in school together. If he wanted to guarantee Rantarou didn't fall for for anyone other than him, Korekiyo had to get his act together. In his mind, it was prudent that Rantarou gave his love and attention to Korekiyo and no one else. 

Korekiyo sits in his seat early before homeroom as always, observing his classmates and trying to learn about them. There were not many other people in the classroom, and Rantarou was not one of them. After the first day, Korekiyo had noticed there was a certain time that Rantarou arrived every day: 7:41 in the morning. Until the time arrived, Korekiyo would usually sit idly while his eyes mindlessly wandered the room. And when Rantarou stepped through that door in his usual relaxed and laidback matter, Korekiyo's day, no matter how bad or good it had been before then, instantly got a thousand times better. 

At least, that's how it _had_ been. Something had made this morning different. 

Korekiyo hears the (to him) distinct sound of Rantarou's slip-on shoes entering the room, and he immediately perks up. The time had come. The love of Korekiyo's life had arrived to make his morning great once again. Korekiyo's eyes bolt to the door, and that's when he's met with an intriguing sight. And not a good kind of intriguing.

Rantarou was there, but he wasn't alone. 

There he saw Shuichi Saihara, that reclusive blue-haired detective that Korekiyo had hardly seen communicating with anyone... talking to _his_ Rantarou. Korekiyo was still a bit tired and therefore couldn't pick up on their conversation, but whatever the two were talking about, both parties seemed to be enjoying themselves. 

Was Rantarou on close terms with him all along without Korekiyo even realizing it? If that was the case, there's no way Korekiyo would let that fly. 

After saying goodbye to Shuichi, Rantarou sits down in his seat in front of Korekiyo. 

"Morning, Kiyo," Rantarou says, letting out a small glimpse of that smile Korekiyo had quickly grown to love. 

How would Korekiyo assess what was currently going on? The anthropologist knew he couldn't let his sudden overpowering envy reveal itself in front of his beloved Rantarou. That would just worry Rantarou, and such would just, in return, upset Korekiyo. Maybe subtlety would get his point across, but not clear enough to be any more than an implication. 

"Good morning, Rantarou," Korekiyo replies while concealing every ounce of jealousy he currently held inside him.  
"I assume you've had a pleasant time since we departed yesterday afternoon?"

The green-haired adventurer nods.  
"Yeah, I've been fine. How about yourself?"

"Since you ask, I did not sleep well last night. However, I believe that seeing you accompanied by your bright and positive aura this morning has woken me up. So I would say that my mood has been improved"

That was mostly a lie. Sure, seeing Rantarou like that warmed Korekiyo's heart, but the fact that Rantarou hadn't entered by himself bothered Korekiyo more than he could put into words. The ecstasy Korekiyo received from seeing the adventurer had been canceled out by his immediate jealousy from seeing the very man who was Korekiyo's source of daily happiness talking to someone else. 

"Well, I'm glad I was able to make you happier," replies Rantarou.

By that point, Rantarou had turned around, giving Korekiyo free range to look at his ever-so-beautiful face. It was so hard to be negative around such a pleasant and wonderful person, perhaps even impossible. Korekiyo had almost forgotten what he planned to say next, but he snapped out of his trance.

Korekiyo clears his throat quietly before speaking.  
"Rantarou, we are what could be considered 'close', correct? And since we are in that state, I have a rather personal inquiry for you."

"Yeah? What's your question?" asks Rantarou.

"I would like you to be one hundred percent honest with me. What is your romantic and/or sexual orientation?"

Rantarou is taken aback for a couple of seconds before answering.  
"Oh, um... I'm gay," he answers.

Both an internal sigh of relief and a huge siren occur at the same time within Korekiyo's state of being. Rantarou had revealed himself to be homosexual, increasing Korekiyo's chances of winning his love. However, this also gave the other six guys in the class an equal chance. Korekiyo himself was bisexual, but he didn't know much of the other males in the class. He found out from classroom banter that Ryoma Hoshi was heterosexual, so that automatically ruled him out. But there were still five obstacles in his way. How could he guarantee none of them were interested in _his_ Rantarou? 

"Ah, a homosexual, I see," Korekiyo says.

"Mm-hmm, straight as a circle," Rantarou responds with a light chuckle.  
"Is there a certain reason you asked, Kiyo?"

"No, I was simply curious. That is all."

Yes, Korekiyo was 'simply curious'. He was _definitely_ not trying to calculate the probability of the two boys being compatible... 

Well, he actually was. Korekiyo was insanely good at math, so he quickly figured out that there was roughly a seventeen percent chance that Rantarou reciprocated his feelings. That was not very high, and that was the very thing that bothered Korekiyo. There was a very high chance that Rantarou did not love him, and Korekiyo knew these chances couldn't possibly be increased any more. 

Of course, only the Rantarou-obsessed Korekiyo would do the math for this. That's just how obsessed Korekiyo is. 

"Oh, okay," says Rantarou, his mood not shifting.  
"Uh... how 'bout you, Kiyo?"

"I am bisexual," Korekiyo answers.

"Oh, cool!" Rantarou chirps.

The adventurer notices a piece of paper on Korekiyo's desk.

"Hey, what's that paper?" asks Rantarou.

Korekiyo frantically covers up the paper.  
"It's just.. mathematics. Yes. I just wanted to calculate something."

Korekiyo grabs the paper off of his desk and quickly shoves it into his bag.

Rantarou tilts his head in confusion.  
"Why do you seem a bit... nervous about the subject of the paper?" he asks.

"It's... none of your concern, Rantarou," Korekiyo says firmly.

"Okay then," says Rantarou.  
"I won't force you to keep talking about it, Kiyo."

Korekiyo sighs. Since the paper wasn't labeled, Rantarou couldn't find out that the math on the paper was his approximations of his chances of mutual feelings between the two of them, but Korekiyo still felt a bit anxious about Rantarou wondering about it. Frankly, the anthropologist felt a bit relieved Rantarou didn't insist on knowing. Then again, Rantarou wasn't like that at all. The supreme leader who was across the room giggling would fit that description better. 

Korekiyo clears his throat.  
"Do you mind if I ask you another question?" he asks.

"No, not at all. What is it?"

Rantarou was smiling. That was a good sign. Hopefully Korekiyo's question wouldn't take the younger boy's beautiful smile away.

"So, Rantarou... have you developed feelings for any person in this class yet?" Korekiyo asks, his tone dropping a bit.

Rantarou chuckles nervously.  
"Uh... yeah, there's this one guy... Why do you ask, Kiyo?"

"Who is it?"

The adventurer looks down at his desk before answering in a near whisper: "Sh-Shuichi...".

Ah, so Korekiyo's suspicions were correct. His beloved Rantarou was in love with that detective. 

Korekiyo's already overwhelming jealousy spikes up a noticeable amount, for he was not the object of Rantarou's affection. That was a problem. If Korekiyo wanted things to go his way, he'd have to get rid of that problem. 

Rantarou's face was not completely obscured by the desk, so Korekiyo could therefore see the slightest bit of pink on his crush's cheeks. He would have found that cute if the circumstances were different, but the fact that Rantarou was not in love with _him_ just filled him with annoyance. 

"Oh, yes... I saw you come in with him earlier. You two were talking about something and laughing. About what, I do not know, but you seemed to be enjoying yourselves."

Rantarou nods while lifting his face from his desk and covering it with his sleeve.  
"Y-yeah. We hung out in my dorm last night. Like, we talked about books and stuff. We were just talking about that. It was a lot of fun, Kiyo. You really shoulda been there."

"W-well, how about the two of us hang out in my room tonight?" asks Korekiyo.

"As much as I'd love to, Shuichi asked to hang out again," Rantarou answers.  
"I'm sorry. We can do it tomorrow night if you'd like. Okay?"

 _'That little bitch!'_ Korekiyo yells in his mind. Of course, he didn't say that out loud, as he probably would get a weird reaction from Rantarou. How dare Shuichi stop him from spending time with Rantarou...

Korekiyo knew something had to be done about him... and not something pretty. Anyone who dared to steal Rantarou away from him was better off dead. 

"How about... you invite _me_ along, Rantarou? I actually don't know Saihara very well, and since he is your friend, I figured that I should be acquainted with him as well."

Rantarou nods.  
"Oh, yeah, sure. I'll ask him. I'll do it right now."

Rantarou turns towards the back of the room, spotting the detective with his head in a book. Rantarou calls him over.

"What do you need?" asks Shuichi after arriving next to Rantarou's desk.

"Korekiyo wants to know if he can come over to my dorm as well, and I figured I'd ask you since you wanna hang out with me."

"I don't mind," Shuichi replies.  
"I guess any friend of yours can be a friend of mine."

Rantarou smiles .  
"Okay, thanks, Shuichi. That's all I needed."

The detective nods, waving goodbye and going back to his desk.

Korekiyo smiles maliciously to himself. If Korekiyo could get Shuichi to befriend him, getting rid of him would be that much easier. He could just ask Shuichi if he wanted to hang out, and he could kill him then and there. Afterwards, he could dispose of the body, and no one would suspect him. With the detective gone, it would be that much more difficult to find the culprit.

Before Korekiyo and Rantarou can start up another conversation, the bell for first period rings.

* * *

Another school day has come and gone, and Korekiyo feels both anxious and exhilarated. He fears that during his eventual meeting with Rantarou and Shuichi, something will go wrong, and Korekiyo's quest to win Rantarou's heart will end in failure. Korekiyo had been struggling all day to keep his anger in, and it was quite draining. With envy-derived anger to the extent of what Korekiyo had, it was extremely difficult to not be able to express how he felt. But if he wanted his true intentions to remain a secret, he would continue restraining himself.

Korekiyo sits on a bench out in the courtyard, just finishing up some homework. With nothing to do, he decided to call Rantarou, for he had gotten the boy's number during class that day. A few seconds after Korekiyo dials the number, Rantarou answers. 

_"Hello?"_

Korekiyo smiles under his mask, one of his fingers twisting around a lock of his ocean-green hair.   
"Good afternoon, Rantarou. How are you feeling?"

 _"I just got done homework,"_ Rantarou replies.  
_"_ _But, uh, I'm doing fine. How are you?"_

"I'm just chilling. So, it is at six p.m. that we plan to hang out in your dorm, correct?"

 _"Mm-hmm, that's right,"_ answers Rantarou.

The anthropologist could hear the smile in his crush's voice. Korekiyo imagined Rantarou was there with him, and that they had instead chosen to hang out alone together. If only there weren't _someone_ in the way of that...

"Alright, I thought so," says Korekiyo.   
"I was just making sure. It would be terrible if I accidentally showed up at the wrong time, would it not be?"

Rantarou chuckles.   
_"_ _It wouldn't be terrible, per se, but I suppose it would be a little awkward. Then again, it's a little after four now, so you can come early if you want."_

Alone time with Rantarou? That was what Korekiyo had been waiting for since he met the adventurer.   
Rantarou might as well have asked Korekiyo on a date, because the anthropologist was struggling to keep his composure. 

"A-Alright, I will... head that way. I will see you in a few minutes, Rantarou."

 _"I'll be waiting, Kiyo. Take your time."_  
With that, Rantarou hung up, leaving Korekiyo a flustered mess. He was blushing a bit, but he pretty much ignored that.

Korekiyo stands up, grabs his stuff, and head towards the dormitory. A whole two hours alone with his beloved Rantarou seemed like an eternity, and Korekiyo was more than excited. He hoped something would come up, and Shuichi wouldn't show. But knowing the detective, that wouldn't happen.

What a shame. Korekiyo would have to restrain himself more than he had all day.

That was a struggle Korekiyo was more than willing to endure. The only thing that mattered now was getting Rantarou to love _him_ , not that damn detective. 

Korekiyo was ready to get rid of Shuichi, no matter what it took. It'll only be a matter of time before the one who would dare take his Rantarou away from him is wiped off the face of the planet. 

No man will _ever_ take Rantarou Amami away from Korekiyo Shinguji. Any attempt is guaranteed to end with the floor painted blood pink. 

The adventurer would soon see that the anthropologist head-over-heels in love with him is the only viable option, and Korekiyo didn't care if he had to force his beloved to accept it. 


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korekiyo gets the chance to hang out with Rantarou completely alone, and he has the adventurer all to himself for at least two hours. And so, the two get to know each other a little better.

Korekiyo realized that he had stopped in his tracks to fantasize about Rantarou for about the fiftieth time that day. He was supposed to be going to the adventurer's room, and yet there he was, still standing in the courtyard and blushing like a lovesick child. 

Maybe he should get where he was going...

And so, Korekiyo did that. He headed through the doors to the dormitory and to Rantarou's room, which was conveniently right next to his.

Without any hesitation at all, Korekiyo rings the doorbell. Within seconds, Rantarou opens the door and greets Korekiyo with a friendly smile. 

"Hey, Kiyo," says the green-haired adventurer.   
"Come in, come in."

Korekiyo nods, following Rantarou in. The room smelled... nice. It was a humble yet sweet smell, and the anthropologist loved it. Rantarou actually kind of smelled like this too...

...Of course, no one else would focus so much on the adventurer as Korekiyo did that they knew how he smelled, but it was still a nice thing to know. 

Rantarou lays down on his bed, and then Korekiyo had noticed he had on a different outfit. The adventurer had on a pale red hoodie and soft-looking black sweatpants, his normal necklace still adorning his neck. Perhaps the outfit that Rantarou had been wearing to school was only for that. That being said, Rantarou wore that same outfit every school day, so perhaps he should wash it...

"So Shuichi isn't coming for another two hours, correct?" asks Korekiyo.

Rantarou nods.  
"Yeah, you're pretty early, Kiyo."

"Well, what can I say? I very much enjoy spending time with you."

The adventurer chuckles, a soft smile appearing on his face. Once again, Korekiyo's heart melted. He loved Rantarou's smile way too much. You could even say that he was addicted to it. 

Rantarou looks to see that Korekiyo was still standing.

"Hey, Kiyo, you can sit down, you know," says the adventurer.  
"You don't need stand. Sit on my bed if you want."

Rantarou sits up, providing room for Korekiyo to sit at the foot of his bed, which was a good few feet away from where he was sitting. The anthropologist hesitantly sits down, trying to stop himself from intensely blushing from the fact that he was sitting so close to his crush with nothing blocking direct contact.   
Of course, any trace that Korekiyo was going mad was hidden by his ever-present poker face, which was underneath a mask that very effectively covered most of his face. Even if he _were_ to take his mask off, you wouldn't be able to decipher his current emotion by merely looking. Well, you could tell by his insanely pink face that he was currently very flustered, but that was a bad example. 

The two boys sit there for a few minutes silently, not knowing what they were supposed to talk about. When Korekiyo decided he'd come early, he didn't think everything completely through. To be honest, he only came because he wanted alone time with Rantarou. Time was wasting away, and they were just... sitting there. If they just stayed that way, there would be no point in Korekiyo even coming at all. He'd better do something. But what?

What do obsessive people do around their love interests again...? Oh, right, they stare at them. 

And so, Korekiyo spent the next ten minutes staring at Rantarou, closely watching what he did. By that point, Rantarou had pulled a notebook out of his drawer and was looking through it. Since the male was an adventurer, it was most likely a travel journal. So Korekiyo decided to ask about it, since just silently sitting there was getting boring.

"Is that one of your travel journals, Rantarou?" 

The adventurer looks up.  
"Hm? Oh, yeah, this is one from a couple of years ago when I traveled to Switzerland."

Switzerland? Huh, interesting. Korekiyo hadn't been there yet, so he was curious. 

"Did you find anything interesting whilst you were there?" asks Korekiyo.

"Well, when I travel, it's normally in attempt to find my younger sisters," Rantarou answers.  
"I used to take them traveling, and I don't know how, but I ended up losing them all. So I've been trying to find them for the past few years by looking all over the world."

So Rantarou had lost a sister or two in his life as well, although the means of losing them was likely different from what happened to _Korekiyo's_ sister. Well, at least it was something else they could talk about.

"How many sisters do you have, Rantarou?" Korekiyo inquires.

"Twelve," Rantarou answers.

"Twelve?" Korekiyo repeats.

"Yeah," says Rantarou.  
"Many of them were results of double or triple pregnancies. When I still had them all, it was kind of grueling to keep track of them and be good big brother. Now I've lost them all, and I feel horrible."

It was absurd that someone could lose a whopping twelve sisters under the same circumstances. Korekiyo wondered how Rantarou didn't get suspicious every time a sister disappeared. Frankly, it was a bit irresponsible of an older brother with so many younger sisters such as Rantarou. If it were Korekiyo in that situation, he would immediately stop taking the little sisters along due to the fear of losing another. Apparently the way the two boys assessed the situation was wildly different. 

"Do you have any siblings, Kiyo?" asks Rantarou after fiddling with his sleeve for a second or two.

"Well, I _had_ an older sister, but that has since changed," Korekiyo answers.

"What happened to her?"

Korekiyo sighs.  
"She passed away a few years ago. She had been very ill for most of her life, so it was only a matter of time."

As much as Korekiyo hated discussing his sister, he found it necessary to answer Rantarou's question. Having things to discuss was a successful way to strengthen one's relationship with another. 

"I imagine you two were close," says Rantarou, his tone more gentle than before.

"Yes, we were. During our time as children, we spent a lot of time together. As time went on, my sister became very ill, so ill she spent years in the hospital. Once that happened, we got even closer. Eventually, her time ran out. She is gone now."

How Korekiyo managed to talk about this without letting any emotions soak through was a mystery. Most other people would be crying on the spot, but Korekiyo was better at suppressing his emotions. He was obviously upset, but it wasn't evident from his body language.

"Kiyo, do you need a hug or something?" asks Rantarou softly. 

Could Rantarou tell he was upset? For most people, it was nearly impossible to read Korekiyo's emotions. Perhaps Rantarou could due to how close they were. That would be the only reasonable explanation. 

Then it occurred to Korekiyo that Rantarou had asked for physical content. Korekiyo's face immediately became so pink, it bordered on red. The anthropologist usually wasn't one for hugs and such, but since he longed to be in the adventurer's embrace, he slowly nods. How could he refuse? 

Rantarou inches closer to Korekiyo, slowly wrapping his arms around the other. Since Rantarou was the shorter of the two, his head ended up on Korekiyo's chest, not the other way around like how it usually was when comforting someone. If they were a couple, this comfort would be accompanied by a kiss on the forehead or something, but that wasn't case. Well, not quite yet, at least. 

"Can we... stay like this for a little longer, Rantarou?" the anthropologist asks.

Rantarou nods with a light smile.  
"Yeah, of course. We can stay like this for as long as you want."

"Thank you."

"No prob," Rantarou replies, pulling Korekiyo slightly closer.

Korekiyo, content and calm now, smiles to himself under his mask. If only things could be like this forever...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so late! School's been overworking me, and I've also had writer's block...


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was still time left before Shuichi came, so platonic cuddling is what Korekiyo and Rantarou decide to do. Awkward Kiyo is the result, as expected. 
> 
> (also known as Author-chan's excuse to write fluff with some of her favorite gays)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any text that has strikethrough from this point on is sort of a representation of Kiyo slowly going insane and/or become more obsessive.

Korekiyo still couldn't believe he was so close to his crush. It made sense that Rantarou, as nice as he was, had been comforting him, but the hug that their physical contact had begun as had become noticeably... more than that. 

No, it was no longer a hug.

Rantarou was sitting in front of Korekiyo, his body curled a slight bit, his arms still around the anthropologist and his head resting comfortably on the other's chest. It seemed less platonic than it was before, despite the fact that Rantarou was most likely not interested in Korekiyo in such a way.

The adventurer seemed rather content, and Korekiyo found that rather adorable. Rantarou just sat there quietly, the only noise coming from him peaceful breaths.

Wait... Had Rantarou fallen asleep?

"Rantarou?" asked Korekiyo softly while lightly tapping the adventurer's shoulder.

"Hm?"  
Rantarou lifts his head up from Korekiyo's chest.  
"Oh. I must've fallen asleep. Heh... sorry, Kiyo."

"It's fine," Korekiyo replies, tone not shifting despite the fact his crush had been asleep on his chest.

Rantarou adjusts his position so that he was now sitting by Korekiyo's side, arms still wrapped around Korekiyo. 

Huh. How weird. Rantarou's arms had been around Korekiyo for at least fifteen minutes now, not seeming to want to move.

Why was Rantarou being so clingy? It wasn't bothering Korekiyo, not at all. It just came off as unusual to the anthropologist. 

"Amami-san, is there a reason why you are still embracing me a slight bit?"

As Korekiyo usually called Rantarou by his given name, he rarely used the honorific anymore. It was only really used when Korekiyo felt the need.

Rantarou shrugs in response.  
"I don't know if you're feeling better or not, so I'm keeping you company."

"You were apparently comfortable enough that you felt the need to fall asleep on my chest," Korekiyo points out.

The green-haired adventurer chuckles a bit, in a manner that suggested that this wasn't too unusual to him. Did he _usually_ fall asleep on his friends like how he had on Korekiyo...? If so, this fact was both cute and concerning at the same time.

"My sleep's been a bit lacking lately," Rantarou states.  
"I guess that since I was in such a comfortable position, my body decided to catch a few zzz's. Sorry if it came off as weird or something."

"No, it is quite alright," Korekiyo reassures Rantarou.

"Well, if you don't mind, Kiyo, I'm gonna stay like this. K?"

Korekiyo nods, a slight blush creeping its way back onto his face. 

Dammit. Korekiyo couldn't stop blushing around Rantarou. He'd probably blushed more today alone than he had his whole life, and it was all that attractive man's fault. The anthropologist had only known him for around a week, so how was he making Korekiyo feel such strong feelings for him? No matter how hard Korekiyo tried, he couldn't find the answer by observing Rantarou and his gentle grip. And observing people was Korekiyo's job!

The more and more Rantarou cuddled up to Korekiyo, the quicker the taller boy learned to appreciate how soft the other was being at the moment. Sure, the two were best friends, but even though Korekiyo had had a best friend before, the physical contact had never gone to this extent. Maybe it was only the fact that Rantarou was gay that he was being so touchy with Korekiyo. Or perhaps Rantarou was just too tired to think. Whatever it was, it only made Korekiyo that much more desperate to press a kiss to Rantarou's forehead. 

Of course, since Rantarou was interested in another ~~fucking man who was not worthy of his love~~ person, Korekiyo simply couldn't risk ruining their friendship. One little mistake, and Korekiyo would lose his soulmate ~~and that damn detective would be able to take _his_ beautiful, beautiful Rantarou Amami away from him~~.

"You know, Rantarou, it seems that we've become so much closer since we met last week," Korekiyo mutters.

Rantarou nods.  
"Yeah, it really has. Huh. I guess we were just a friendship made in heaven."

_Friendship... Friendship... Friendship..._

That despair-inducing word kept echoing in Korekiyo's mind. So this is how it must feel when your crush friendzones you...

Upon hearing Rantarou call their relationship a mere "friendship", Korekiyo felt truly hurt for the first time in a long while. In fact, it was probably the first time Korekiyo's heart broke since his sister's passing. 

No. At this point, his heart was not broken.

Korekiyo _himself_ was broken.

The teen was left silent. If he attempted to speak, the barrier holding in his feelings in would likely collapse, letting out all of the anger and melancholy Korekiyo was currently struggling to hold in.

~~How fucking dare Rantarou call the budding romance they were developing... a friendship! If he were not already considering it, Korekiyo had locked onto the goal that Shuichi Saihara would be dead before the week was over.~~

_Now_ what could Korekiyo do?!

The atmosphere had become extremely tense. Korekiyo was struggling so hard now to conceal his emotions that he was physically shaking.

It seemed Rantarou had noticed this too.

"Um, Kiyo...? Are you okay?" asks the adventurer, concerned.

"L-Let me go," Korekiyo says quickly

"Kiyo, what's wrong???"

Rantarou removes his arms from Korekiyo's sides, a worried expression on his face. He was clearly concerned for his _friend_. 

"Rantarou, I am very sorry, but I need to leave," Korekiyo says, shuffling off of Rantarou's bed and out the door.

Rantarou stands up, about to follow Korekiyo.

"But we were supposed to--!"

Korekiyo ignores Rantarou, closing the door behind him and returning to his own dorm.

* * *

Korekiyo... had finally snapped. Whether he intended it or not, a passionate fire had begun to burn inside of the anthropologist.

If he no longer wanted to be friendzoned, he had to ~~end the insignificant life~~ get rid of Shuichi Saihara. There was no other choice. 

That was the last thing on Korekiyo's mind as he lost consciousness due to overwhelming anger.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of hours have gone by, and Korekiyo is still passed out. Since Rantarou is still worried about Korekiyo, he sends a certain detective to check on the anthropologist. Big mistake...

The day had gone from relaxing to horrible in a matter of minutes. Even though Korekiyo knew that Rantarou most likely didn't have feelings for him, hearing Rantarou hint at it using that _dreaded_ word, "friendship", Korekiyo couldn't take it anymore. Had he been sane at the moment, he would have tried to contain his anger. But no, Korekiyo was so head-over-heels in love with Rantarou that knowing his crush didn't reciprocate his feelings and that the adventurer had his eyes on a different man is what finally cracked Korekiyo's calm exterior. 

Damn Shuichi's entire existence. ~~Korekiyo wanted him dead.~~ With the detective in the way, Korekiyo didn't know what to do with himself anymore. 

Without Rantarou's love, Korekiyo would be broken. Anyone stopping Korekiyo from gaining his crush's love and attention needed to either leave or face the consequences. ~~Especially that damn detective. Korekiyo had to kill him.~~

Ever since he met Rantarou, Korekiyo was cautious of the other men in the class. Until earlier today, the only person Rantarou talked to in class was Korekiyo. 

Now, Korekiyo knew Rantarou had other male friends. It was only natural.

For example, Rantarou was pretty chummy with Ultimate Astronaut Kaito Momota. Since the purple-haired boy had mentioned several times how he was interested in Ultimate Assassin Maki Harukawa, Korekiyo didn't see him as a threat and therefore didn't stop Rantarou from conversating with him. 

However, the friendship ~~that undeserving prick~~ Shuichi and Rantarou had was different from that. The two seemed to talk quite a lot, almost as much as _Korekiyo_ and Rantarou did. Rantarou always talked highly of Shuichi, occasionally blushing at the mention of the detective's name. The two always smiled at each other in the hallway and always made eye contact while talking.

Shuichi no doubt had feelings for Rantarou as well. Some compliments Rantarou gave him caused him to become all stuttery and nervous. Sure, the detective was a rather awkward boy, but he never got like this when talking to his other friends. Maybe _slight_ stuttering and silence, sure. But sometimes, Shuichi even _blushed_ when talking to Rantarou. 

To a normal person, this would just be the usual mutual pining. Two boys crushing on each other and trying to act confident. But that was the last thing Korekiyo wanted. 

Rantarou was obviously not giving Korekiyo all of the attention he possibly could. Instead, Shuichi had been getting it outside of class without Korekiyo's knowledge. As Korekiyo was not an omnipotent god and didn't always know what Rantarou was doing, this bothered him way too much. 

If Shuichi was taken out of the picture, it would make the possibility of there being someone to potentially be the target of Rantarou's affection next way lower. In fact, Korekiyo was pretty sure fellow classmate Gonta Gokuhara wasn't interested in romance. Unless he considered people outside of the academy, there would only be _two_ homosexuals in his way.

Of course, Korekiyo could very easily get rid of Ouma, and he was not one bit scared of destroying a robot. He would do anything that was necessary in order to have Rantarou to himself. 

As sweet as Kiibo was, there was still a possibility that he could catch feelings for the adventurer, so he was still on Korekiyo's radar. Although Korekiyo was pretty sure the robot liked the soon-to-be-dead Shuichi too, the fact that Shuichi would be gone soon would give Kiibo less options if he were to pursue love. 

Anyway, back to the present moment.

Korekiyo was still unconscious on his dorm room floor. He was probably wrinkling his uniform and knotting up his ocean-green locks. Regardless, a soft yet recognizable voice finally wakes him up.

"Shinguji-kun...? Shinguji-kun?"

Korekiyo's golden eyes immediately pop open. He knew whose voice that was. And, not a surprise at all to him, he saw _him_ kneeling down next to his body.

"Saihara, what are you doing here?" Korekiyo asks the male sharply.

Shuichi adjusts his hat.  
"Rantarou told me that earlier, you bolted to your dorm suddenly, so, uh... he wanted me to check on you. How come you seem so upset with me now?"

Korekiyo stands up, fixing his hair and closing (and locking) the door. Afterwards, he sends a cold glare in Shuichi's direction.

"Hmm, how should I start? Well, number one, I found out that you have a crush on Rantarou-"

"H-How did you find out about that?" Shuichi asks nervously.  
"Have you been stalking me or something? You hardly know me."

"Shut up and let me finish," says Korekiyo, still maintaining the stern tone.

Shuichi cowers slightly, not saying a word.

"I have been watching you very closely all week. The behaviors you have been displaying around Rantarou are too much for my liking. Now, I'll have you know that Rantarou is _mine_ , so this is unacceptable."

Korekiyo pauses, allowing the detective to speak again.

"What do you mean, he's yours?" asks the blue-haired boy.  
"What, d-do you like him too? Is _that_ what this is all about?"

"No, I mean that he's _mine_ , and I will not allow you to make any kind of advance on _my_ Rantarou whatsoever," Korekiyo answers.

Korekiyo takes a couple of steps closer to Shuichi.  
"I will _not_ hesitate to end you, Shuichi Saihara."

"H-Hey...! Shinguji-kun, you are taking this too far. I don't know _what's_ wrong with you, but you need to stop."

Korekiyo laughs, almost maniacally, and Shuichi darts towards the door. But the door had already been locked. 

"What the hell did you-?!"

"You're so panicked, it's almost cute," Korekiyo says.  
"Did you _really_ think I'd let you escape so easily? I am smarter than you think I am."

"Let me out right now," says Shuichi, completely ignoring Korekiyo.

Korekiyo shakes his head as he replies, "No way in hell. I have you right where I want you.". He looks at the detective, who's feeling around his pockets for something.

"And I took your pocket knife while you were out. Don't bother looking."

Shuichi stares at Korekiyo.  
"You went into my room?!"

"Yep, guilty as charged," the anthropologist replies.

"Why would you do that?!"

"It's obvious," Korekiyo answers.  
"You can't fight back, so you cannot resist me, Saihara. So, I have a question. How would you like to die? It is your choice."

"I don't _want_ to die!" Shuichi exclaims.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You just don't get it, do you? You are in my way. So I am getting rid of you. I am even giving you the luxury of deciding your means of death. Normally, I'd just slaughter my victims without a second thought."

"You _do_ realize that Rantarou can ask for entrance at any moment, right?" Shuichi asks.  
The detective points in the direction of Rantarou's room.

"He would have texted you if he were concerned before trying to intrude," Korekiyo counters.

Why Shuichi hadn't decided to text Rantarou was a mystery, since the two of them seemed so close. However, Korekiyo didn't care, as long as his beloved didn't try to interfere. The worst thing that could happen right now is Rantarou Amami witnessing the murder of Shuichi Saihara.

Korekiyo reaches into his jacket, pulling out the very pocket knife that he had recently stolen from Shuichi. He was growing bored of listening to the detective struggle. He could just kill him _now_. 

Shuichi immediately notices his pocket knife in Korekiyo's hand.

"What are you going to do with that? That's stolen property, so possessing it at _all_ is-"

"Against the law, I know," Korekiyo interrupts.  
"Saihara, I am many things, but one thing that I am _not_ is stupid. I have broken the law many times, so I don't see the point in even trying to contradict me. You're talking to a serial murderer here, and trying to resist is simply _asking_ for death."

For once, Shuichi Saihara is silent. Korekiyo had rendered him speechless, for this was something he just couldn't logic his way out of. He knew he was going to die, so he just gave up.

Korekiyo steps closer to Shuichi, opening up the pocket knife and exposing the blade.

"Is there anything you would like to say before I kill you, Shuichi?" asks the anthropologist.

Shuichi nods.

"Go ahead."

Shuichi takes a deep breath.  
"Please tell Rantarou I'm okay after you kill me. I'd hate for him to worry about me."

"Alright, I will do that for you," says Korekiyo.

And, without further hesitation, the pocket knife is plunged into Shuichi's chest. The detective doesn't even attempt to defend himself. 

Shuichi Saihara falls to the floor, and he never moves again. 

The Ultimate Detective was finally dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soooo sorry, Shuichi lovers! Please don't hate me! I love the emo detective too! It was only for the plot, I swear!


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After successfully killing Shuichi, Korekiyo starts eliminating any implications that it had ever happened. The last thing Korekiyo wanted was his beloved Rantarou finding out he's a murderer!

He'd done it.

He'd actually done it.

Korekiyo had finally ended Shuichi Saihara's life. 

The detective laid dead on the floor, bright pink blood still pouring out of his chest. He was no longer moving, no longer breathing. All life had left his body, and, quite frankly, Korekiyo was relieved.

He had gotten rid of his rival in love, so he no longer felt that overwhelming jealousy he had been feeling earlier. What sense did it make for him to feel jealous when the one _making_ him jealous was no longer here? 

Korekiyo stares down at Shuichi's body, thinking of what to do next. He can't just leave the body there, and he _certainly_ couldn't leave it as is. 

The anthropologist thought back to Shuichi's final request.

_"Please tell Rantarou I'm okay after you kill me. I'd hate for him to worry about me."_

Korekiyo realized that he'd have to convince Rantarou that Shuichi was still alive for as long as possible. As much as Korekiyo wanted both him _and_ Rantarou to forget about Shuichi's existence, that was not possible, especially since Korekiyo was the only person at the moment who knew Shuichi was no longer alive. The longer Rantarou believed Shuichi was alive and well, the longer Korekiyo had to wait before witnessing the despair of seeing his beloved Rantarou upset. 

Of course, the time _would_ come eventually, but as of now, _how_ soon it would come was an unknown. 

Shuichi's death would have to remain a secret, and it would stay that way until someone picked up on anything suspicious. Since Korekiyo was a master of covering up murders, that wouldn't happen for a while. 

Before he returned to Rantarou, Korekiyo had to do some "maintenance". Leaving any immediately incriminating evidence was an amateur move, and Korekiyo was _not_ an amateur. 

First, Korekiyo unwrapped the bandages on both his hands, as small droplets of pink were very clearly visible. He threw these away and replaced them.

Miraculously, no blood had gotten on Korekiyo's uniform. The anthropologist hated taking this very special uniform off, so he was relieved he didn't have to. 

Next, he cleaned the body- took the pocket knife out of the detective's chest, cleaned off any blood (Korekiyo replaces his bandages again), headed to Shuichi's room and grabbed a duplicate of his normal outfit and dressed Shuichi in that one after taking the old one off (and throwing it out), mopped up any remaining blood. 

After all of that was done, Korekiyo once again replaces his bandages for good measure. Then he remembers that Shuichi had his cell phone on him. This could be used to Korekiyo's advantage. 

After examining a couple of Shuichi's text conversations, Korekiyo sent a text mimicking Shuichi's texting style to Rantarou to explain the detective's absence for the rest of the night:

_"Shinguji-kun's fine. He explained to me what happened, and he said he'd be back momentarily. I, however, just remembered there's something I need to do, so I can't come back to your dorm tonight. I hope this is okay with you."_

Hitting send, Korekiyo sighs and stuffs the cell phone into one of his many pockets. He'd dispose of the body later, maybe when night came. All that mattered right now was getting back to Rantarou. 

* * *

The anthropologist checks himself real quick before heading out of the dorm. He waited a few minutes for Rantarou to answer "Shuichi's" text. After getting the reply (a simple _"Yeah, it's okay."_ ), Korekiyo walks over to Rantarou's dorm and knocks on the door.

"Rantarou? It's me, Kiyo. May I come in?"

Korekiyo knew Rantarou would let him in, but Korekiyo wanted to say that just in case. 

"Yeah, of course," Rantarou's voice replies. 

Korekiyo opens the door, finding Rantarou right where he was before. 

The adventurer looks up and smiles softly. Korekiyo smiles back, once again feeling his face heat up. He needed to stop blushing at the smallest things...

"Are you sure you're okay, Kiyo? You had quite the outburst earlier..."

Korekiyo nods, sitting down on Rantarou's bed again.  
"Yes, I am fine, Rantarou. Do not worry. The problem has been somewhat resolved."

That wasn't at all a lie. Sure, he was still a bit irritated about being friendzoned, but now that Shuichi was gone, Rantarou couldn't confess to the detective even if he wanted to. 

Korekiyo had to watch Rantarou more closely now. He'd hate to have to do something like this again. Not saying he wouldn't, but ending another man's life would just be a hassle. Plus, Korekiyo normally didn't kill men. But if he had to, he'd kill as many men as he had to until Rantarou loved him. Hell, he'd even kill some women if they got too close. Sure, Rantarou wouldn't be interested in those women, but anyone who liked Rantarou (other than Korekiyo) had to die. 

"It sucks that Shuichi couldn't stay," Rantarou says.

Korekiyo nods, trying to normalize the situation. As he had been the one who murdered Shuichi, any suspicious statements or actions would immediately let others know that something was off.

"Perhaps he realized he still had homework to do or something. That would be the logical reason, since he often stays up late and likely doesn't finish everything."

Rantarou nods with a light chuckle.  
"I guess we _both_ need to improve our sleep schedules, yeah? Hey, Kiyo, how's _your_ sleep?"

"Sleep? What is 'sleep'?" Korekiyo asks with a light cock of his head.

Rantarou just starts laughing. A quite fitting reaction, exactly what Korekiyo expected. 

"Kiyo, do you even sleep?" asks Rantarou, still recovering from his laughter.

"Other than a two-hour nap every other Wednesday, no," Korekiyo replies.

"How the hell can you run on two hours of sleep for two weeks straight? That should be impossible..."

Well, Korekiyo had been running on this sleep schedule since his first year of junior high, and he functioned like a completely normal person. How this was possible for him no one knew, but the anthropologist somehow trained his body to do it. 

Not knowing how to explain it, Korekiyo just shrugs.

"So, tomorrow's Wednesday," Rantarou says.  
"It feels like this week's been going on forever. I can't wait for the weekend."

"Neither can I. It is only the middle of the week, but I need a break already."

Rantarou stands up.  
"You wanna go to the dining hall? It's a bit late for dinner, but better now than never, yeah?"

Korekiyo nods, standing up as well. The two leave Rantarou's dorm and head to the dining hall.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since Rantarou's current love interest is gone now, Korekiyo sees the next morning in class as an opportunity to flirt. How will Rantarou react to Korekiyo's sudden advances?

The next morning arrives, and Korekiyo is doing his usual routine. Then, 7:41 arrives, and in comes Rantarou. Things are pretty much back to normal, and Korekiyo has nothing to be jealous about this time.

"Morning, Kiyo," says Rantarou while sitting down.

"Good morning, dear Rantarou," Korekiyo replies.  
"How are you feeling today?"

Rantarou takes out his phone and scrolls a bit.  
"I'm okay, I guess. I got a text a few minutes ago from Shuichi. He says he can't come to school today 'cause he's sick."

"Hopefully he'll be better soon," says Korekiyo nonchalantly. 

Rantarou nods, sitting down and scrolling through his phone some more. Then he looks up.  
"Wait... what did you say, Kiyo?"

"I said, 'Hopefully he'll be better soon'."  
"No, before that."  
"Oh, 'dear Rantarou'?"

Rantarou nods.  
"You've never called me that before, Kiyo," he points out.

Korekiyo shrugs.  
"Well, it's no different than someone on social media calling their followers 'my lovelies', correct? Many friends of the same gender have platonic pet names for each other."

Korekiyo forced himself to use _that_ cursed word again...

He hated that word. He didn't want to be _friends_ with Rantarou. He wanted to be _with_ him...

"Like how some girls call each other 'honey' and stuff? Sure, I've done it a couple of times before, but just in, like, a casual way."

"Hey, Rantarou, if it isn't too much of a bother, could you perhaps call _me_ 'honey'?" asks Korekiyo.  
"You don't have to. It is only to establish a closer bond between us, I promise."

Rantarou chuckles.  
"Since it's you, I guess I don't mind."

The adventurer taps Korekiyo's shoulder. Korekiyo turns around.

"Yes?" he asks.

"Wanna hang out after school today... honey?"  
The 'honey' was a bit quiet compared to the rest of the question, but that was only natural. It wasn't normal for Rantarou to address Korekiyo in such a manner.

Korekiyo puts a hand on Rantarou's arm.  
"Of course, my dear. I cannot say no to you."

Right after hearing that, Rantarou turns a light pink. It was either Korekiyo's flirt, the sudden physical contact, or both, but the anthropologist had succeeded in making him blush.

"Oh, uh... okay..." Rantarou mumbles.

A sharp voice then cut through the awkwardness.

"Dude, Rantarou! You and Kiyo dating or somethin' now?"

The adventurer turns to see a _certain_ purple-haired astronaut smirking.

"N-No, Kaito, we're not dating..." Rantarou replies.

"Then what's with the 'dear' and 'honey' and all that coupley shit?" Kaito asks. 

Rantarou finds himself a blushy, stuttery mess, so Korekiyo answers for him.

"Hush now, Momota. We are simply trying to deepen our friendship."

 _Friendship..._  
Each time Korekiyo said it, a small part of him died inside. Hopefully Rantarou would fall in love with him soon so he wouldn't have to call it that anymore...

Kaito laughs.  
"Anyway, uh, where's Shuichi? He hasn't answered my texts."

"You're probably driving him nuts," Maki mumbles.

"He's just sick, don't worry," says Rantarou.

"Damn, that sucks. Well, I bet my sidekick can handle it! He'll be better in no time!"

Kaito pulls his phone back out, tapping away again. Within a few seconds, the pocket of Korekiyo's uniform with Shuichi's phone in it vibrates, and Korekiyo quickly whips it out when no one's looking. After forging a couple of messages, away goes Shuichi's phone into Korekiyo's pocket.

Actually, the phone vibrated a few times in the past five minutes. Korekiyo had just been ignoring it. Answering every single text sent to the phone the way Shuichi would was exhausting! He already had to answer his _own_ texts! And since Shuichi's phone had more contacts saved into it than Korekiyo's did, it frequently went off, much to Korekiyo's annoyance. 

Korekiyo decided that once school was let out for the day, he would drop Shuichi's phone off. He didn't want to deal with this forever.

Maki peeks over at Kaito's phone.  
"He answered you. Now put the phone away. Class is starting in seven minutes."

Kaito obediently puts away his phone, resting his head on his desk. 

"So, Kiyo, four p.m. sound good to you?" asks Rantarou.

Korekiyo nods.  
"Yes, that time sounds great," he replies.

Rantarou smiles, his emerald green eyes glowing. Every time the adventurer smiled like this, he became more and more beautiful in Korekiyo's eyes. Of course, he _always_ thought Rantarou was beautiful. How could he not? Any person with good taste in men knew that fact already. Well, not like Korekiyo cared what others thought of his Rantarou. In fact, anyone who thought _negatively_ of him could burn in Hell. 

Korekiyo looks to the back corner of the room, where a few kids are crowded around Ryoma Hoshi's desk.

"What is Hoshi doing?" Korekiyo asks Rantarou.

"He's playing a game on his Switch. Everybody back there is watching him."

The anthropologist sighs. School was not the place for video games, but since class hadn't started yet, it didn't really hurt anything. 

"Hoshi-san, once you finish that round, please put away the Nintendo Switch," says Ultimate Maid Kirumi Tojo, who is sitting separate from the small group. 

Ryoma nods, responding with a "Yeah, sure". 

Korekiyo turns back to Rantarou. He honestly didn't care what Ryoma was doing. He just thought it wasn't necessary for high schoolers to crowd around a desk to watch _one_ person play a video game. One place you shouldn't be playing video games is in school, and for good reason. It was distracting. 

"So, Rantarou... how do you-"

Before Korekiyo can finish his sentence, he notices Rantarou's eyes are on his phone. A robotic female voice is coming from the speaker.

"Rantarou. What are you doing on your phone? Class is about to start."  
"I'm just finishing up my Gumi song on Mobile Vocaloid Editor."  
"And _how_ much yen did you spend on that instead of on more important things?"

Rantarou chuckles.  
"At least 4,900 yen... and that's for just the app itself."

Korekiyo points to Rantarou's bag. The adventurer gets the memo and puts his phone away.

Soon, the bell for first period rings, and everyone is back in their proper seats. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to shine a light on my "Rantarou uses Vocaloid and stuff" headcanon. No one will ever pick it up, but I'm trying.


End file.
